Pulmonary hypertension (PH) has been previously classified as primary (idiopathic) or secondary. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified pulmonary hypertension into five groups:                Group 1: pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH);        Group 2: PH with left heart disease;        Group 3: PH with lung disease and/or hypoxemia;        Group 4: PH due to chronic thrombotic and/or embolic disease; and        Group 5: miscellaneous conditions (e.g., sarcoidosis, histiocytosis X, lymphangiomatosis and compression of pulmonary vessels).See, for example, Rubin (2004) Chest 126:7-10.        
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a serious, progressive and life-threatening disease of the pulmonary vasculature, characterized by profound vasoconstriction and an abnormal proliferation of smooth muscle cells in the walls of the pulmonary arteries. Severe constriction of the blood vessels in the lungs leads to very high pulmonary arterial pressures. These high pressures make it difficult for the heart to pump blood through the lungs to be oxygenated. Patients with PAH suffer from extreme shortness of breath as the heart struggles to pump against these high pressures. Patients with PAH typically develop significant increases in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and sustained elevations in pulmonary artery pressure (PAP), which ultimately lead to right ventricular failure and death. Patients diagnosed with PAH have a poor prognosis and equally compromised quality of life, with a mean life expectancy of 2 to 5 years from the time of diagnosis if untreated.
Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is the primary member of a family of potent vasoconstrictor peptides, which are known to play an essential role in mammalian cardiovascular physiology. ET-1 is synthesized de novo and released from endothelial cells in response to a variety of factors, including angiotensin II, catecholamines, cytokines, hypoxia and shear stress. Two receptor subtypes, endothelin receptor type A (ETA) and endothelin receptor type B (ETB), mediate the effects of ET-1. In humans, the ETA receptor is preferentially expressed in vascular smooth muscle cells and is primarily responsible for the vasoconstrictive effects of ET-1. In contrast, ETB receptors are found mainly in the vascular endothelium, and their activation results in vasodilatation via production of nitric oxide and prostacyclin. The ETB receptor is also involved in regulation of circulating concentrations of ET-1, through effects on endothelin converting enzyme (ECE-1) expression, and the synthesis and reuptake of ET-1 by endothelial cells.
Ambrisentan is a non-sulfonamide, propanoic acid-class endothelin receptor antagonist (ERA) with high affinity (˜12 μM) for the ETA receptor. Bosentan, a non-selective, sulfonamide-class ERA, is approved for treatment of PAH in patients with WHO functional class III or IV symptoms. Sitaxsentan is another sulfonamide-class ERA that is selective for the ETA receptor. Sitaxsentan is currently under review for market authorization as a PAH therapeutic.
Myogen, Inc. News Release, Dec. 4, 2003 (http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/12-04-2003/0002069898&EDATE=) announced completion of a Phase II trial of ambrisentan in PAH and initiation of Phase III trials. The release stated that the Phase III trials would evaluate 2.5 mg, 5.0 mg and 10.0 mg oral dosages of ambrisentan administered once a day, and would have as a primary efficacy endpoint exercise capacity, which measures the change from baseline in 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) compared to placebo, and secondary endpoints including Borg dyspnea index (BDI), WHO functional class and a quality of life assessment.
Myogen, Inc. News Release, Jan. 8, 2004 (http://investor.myogen.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=135160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=759080&highlight=) announced patient enrollment in phase III clinical trials of ambrisentan for treatment of PAH. According to the news release, phase II trials had demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful increase in the primary efficacy endpoint (exercise capacity measured by 6MWD) in all four ambrisentan dose groups tested.
Myogen, Inc. News Release, Feb. 16, 2004 (http://investor.myogen.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=135160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=759478&highlight=) announced upcoming presentation of detailed results of the phase II study of ambrisentan in PAH, at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2004 International Conference. (Rubin (2004) “Ambrisentan Improves Exercise Capacity and Clinical Measures in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension”, ATS May 21-26, 2004.)
Myogen, Inc. News Release, May 24, 2004 (http://investor.myogen.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=135160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=759469&highlight=) reported improvements in 6MWD, BDI and WHO functional classification seen in the Phase II study. Additionally, the news release mentioned suitability of ambrisentan for once-a-day dosing.
Myogen, Inc. News Release, Feb. 10, 2005 (http://investor.myogen.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=135160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=759971&highlight=) announced that two abstracts describing effects of ambrisentan in patients with PAH were selected for presentation at ATS 2005 in San Diego. (Galié (2005) “Ambrisentan Long-Term Safety and Efficacy in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension 1-Year Follow-Up”, ATS May 23, 2005; Frost (2005) “Ambrisentan Improves 6MWD Comparably for WHO Class II and III PAH Patients,” ATS May 22, 2005.) It was stated that one-year data demonstrated that ambrisentan produced a significant and durable benefit on exercise capacity and other clinical measures of PAH and that WHO Class II and III PAH patients have significant and comparable improvement in exercise capacity, suggesting that the effects of ambrisentan are not limited by the “ceiling effect” in patients with less severe PAH symptoms.
Myogen, Inc. News Release, May 19, 2005 (http://investor.myogen.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=135160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=759658 &highlight=) reported initiation of a clinical trial to evaluate ambrisentan in patients with PAH who have previously discontinued bosentan or sitaxsentan therapy due to liver function test (LFT) abnormalities, specifically elevated serum aminotransferase concentrations.
Myogen, Inc. News Release, May 23, 2005 (http://investor.myogen.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=135160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=759656&highlight=) reported further data presented by Galié (2005) ATS 2005, cited above, which were stated to show improvements in a 6-minute walking test (6MWT) accompanied with improved levels of dyspnea (breathlessness) for WHO Class II and III patients. The release reported a one-year survival rate of 92% for patients with idiopathic PAH as compared to an NIH registry predicted survival of 74%.
Myogen, Inc. News Release, Jul. 21, 2005 (http://investor.myogen.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=135160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=759650&highlight=) announced completion of enrollment of 187 patients in ARIES-2, one of the two Phase III clinical trials of ambrisentan in patients with PAH. The news release reported that ARIES-1 evaluates doses of 5.0 mg and 10.0 mg of ambrisentan administered orally once daily, while ARIES-2 provides 2.5 mg and 5.0 mg dosages. The release stated that the results of the Phase II clinical trial of ambrisentan in patients with PAH demonstrated significant improvements in 6MWD, BDI and WHO functional class, durable efficacy with long-term use and a possible survival benefit, comparable efficacy in WHO Functional Class 2 and Class 3 patients, selectivity for the endothelin type-A receptor, dose flexibility, true once-daily dosing, no drug interactions (no p450 induction or inhibition), and low incidence and severity of potential liver toxicity that does not appear to be dose related.
Myogen, Inc. News Release, Nov. 10, 2005 (http://investor.myogen.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=135160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=781654&highlight=) announced the expectation that ARIES-2 results would be reported in December of that year.
Rubin et al. (2005) Future Cardiol. 1(4):1-8 reported improvement of the mean 6MWD for all patients after 12 weeks of ambrisentan treatment, with a mean increase from baseline of 36 meters. The authors reported that similar improvements in 6MWD were observed for patients with WHO Functional Class II and III symptoms, indicating that the effects of ambrisentan may not be limited by a “ceiling effect” in less advanced PAH patients, as has been reported for sitaxsentan. Additionally, the authors reported that clinically meaningful improvements were also seen in BDI and WHO functional class.
Galié et al. (2005) J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 46(3):529-535 reported results of a randomized dose-ranging study examining efficacy and safety of ambrisentan in patients with PAH. The authors reported an increase in exercise capacity in patients with idiopathic PAH as well as in patients with PAH due to other etiologies and for patients in WHO Functional Class II as well as those in WHO Functional Class III.
PAH afflicts approximately 200,000 patients worldwide. Improved drug therapies to treat pulmonary hypertensive disorders such as PAH are needed in the art. Further, methods for enhancing the clinical outcome for patients having pulmonary hypertension conditions would be highly desirable.